A Comparison of Japan and the Culture of the United States - Research Paper Example

Running Head: COMPARISONS OF CULTURES A comparison A Comparison of Japan and the Culture of the United s Class Date A comparison of Japan and the culture of the United States Introduction Culture is a vital structure through which communication, motivation, and ambition develops towards contributing successfully to the community. The way in which education and family are approached forms the nature of belief and meaning for an individual. Work and business practices that are culturally relevant provide for the development of economic success for a nation. In comparing the Japanese culture with the American culture, it is clear that the Japanese exist in a collective state where as Americans not only are individualistic but aspire towards individualism as a respected state. In comparing the cultures of Japan and the United States, it is clear that the differences provide for very different outcomes in relationship to economy and success. Japan Education and Family The central government is involved in the success of their school systems. School systems are the same throughout the nation with moves from one region to another meaning that a child will not be in a different state of educational advancement in one place compared to another. Equity is achieved through the centralized control of the education system. Communities are not responsible for defining their own education system, but rather there is a high quality of standardization that exists though out the country (Berger, 2009). Children spend longer days, longer weeks which include Saturdays, and a longer period of the year in school. School systems are only shut down for one month out of the year. Three fourths of the children attend supplemental public school which is called juko (Berger, 2009). Japanese children routinely score higher on science and mathematics tests. One criticism, however, is that so much time is spent on rote learning that concept of meta-cognitive skills are not as well developed. Learning discipline through memorization is emphasized while thinking skills are not fully developed to the capacity that could be achieved. In 2002, the Japanese government made changes in order to create more relaxed learning in order to maximize controlled curriculum at 30% with the rest of the curriculum being devoted to teaching children how to think (Berger, 2009). Family life in Japan, therefore, is based upon the importance of the group dynamic. Georges (2009) shows that the ideal family relationship is one in which “a feeling of oneness” exists to the point that the members of the family understand one another without having to discuss anything. Contrasting to American ideas of teenage life, when polled on how much teenagers believed that their family understood them, Japanese teens indicated that their mother understood them by 72%, their father by 65%, and their siblings by 63%, while believing by 77% that they understood the other members of their families. It is possible that Japanese generally gain self-esteem by their membership in their family, rather than through direct self- enhancement (Georges, 2009). The family is structured with the male as the head of the family, but the mother taking responsibility for the emotional security and welfare of the family. She takes the responsibility of the children, holding them to her in a method through which she prepares them for the external society through creating meaning in the connection to the family group. Children are responsible to each member of the family and it is through the shame of failure that their success is born. They owe their success not to themselves, but towards the continuation of the family through their efforts. Work and Business Work and business are a continuation of the nature of the Japanese culture through which the needs of the collective are more important than the needs of the individual. A class system has evolved in which a family is ranked socially by the reputation of the company for which he works. The work culture is dominated by the ideas of lifetime employment, reflecting feudal Japanese belief systems in which loyalty is just as important as compensation and more important than individual ambition. The individual’s worthiness is judged by the reputation of the company he works with to the point that when renting an apartment, as an example, not only is his worthiness assessed, but that of the company for which he works. If he changes jobs he is required to inform the landlord and may face legal eviction if the new employment does not stand up as being reliable or the reputation of the company is insufficient to please the landlord. Long term relationships become a part of the methods of doing business. Women are still typically not in decision making positions and will leave work when they start their families. Meaning and Symbols Non-verbal communication is very important in Japan, thus they interpret a situation based upon what they identify as meaningful in facial expressions and postures. Not only is what is said important, but the context in which it is spoken. Certain gestures such as exhaling through one’s teeth, scratching the back of the head, or frowning, which is interpreted as disagreement, are specifically significant which can change the course of a discussion. Avoidance of eye contact is part of a way of protecting privacy. Making eye contact with someone can be considered disrespectful if it is maintained. In addition, nodding and smiling is not an indication of a positive response, but of disagreement, being displeased with what is being said, and uncertainty of the outcome of the exchange. What is interpreted as yes, actually means no (Kwintessential, 2012). When meeting someone the way in which greetings are exchanged is important. The Japanese have learned to accept the Western handshake, but traditional greetings are more often performed with a bow. Introducing one’s self can be considered impolite. Respect and status are indicated as the hierarchy of social class is reflected in how people will greet one another. Punctuality is a sign of respect. The use of a person’s first name is not preferred, and one should never offer another to use their first name in business. Business attire is conservative and formal with men wearing dark suits and women also observing formal and conservative dress. Business cards are a formalized ritual of exchange, with the respect shown the business card as important as that shown to the individual (Kwintessential, 2012). Business cards are called meishi, and must be handed to another using both hands with a great deal of respect, and business cannot be conducted until this ritual has taken place. What is done with one’s hands is relevant to meaning within the culture of Japan. Passing something to someone using only one hand is considered impolite. Pointing is an unacceptable form of indicating anything to another person. Waving is an indication of no, while making a motion that looks like one is scratching toward the floor indicates someone to come over. What is used to indicate ok in the United States is translated into coins or money in Japan (Kwintessential, 2012). Collective Culture Japan is defined by its collective culture in which the group is the more important entity rather than the needs of the individual. Georges (2006) writes that anthropologist Chie Nikane theorized that “the Japanese tend to stress the situational in a particular ‘frame’ rather than personal attributes” (p. 388). The people of Japan do not seem themselves as bound by social contracts with individuals each bound, but rather as parts of collectives in which the ownership is not placed upon the individual, but on the membership to the group. The group identity is predominant over the individual identity (Georges, 2006). America Education and Family The United States educational system is supported through various levels of governments through which the systems are individual, but complying with expectations in order to receive funding. The local school boards make the decisions for the schools based on funding that is provided through public tax dollars that are assigned within a city budget. Additional funds are gained through compliance with state regulations, with additional funds gained through the federal government with further compliance with those regulations. That education is affected by so many institutions of government is the basic problem with the system in that the diversity between educations available means that children are not having equitable experiences. Children go to school only five days a week for about 6 hours a day, with an almost three month break in the summer, discontinuing their progress and often making it mandatory for teachers to repeat much from the year before to reinforce that learning that has been forgotten over the summer months. Family is defined by within the America myth as a father, a mother, and children, which makes up what is considered the ideal, but the truth is that family is defined by a wide variety of configurations through which connections are made to work towards survival and emotional support. Roles are not assigned according to overall belief systems, but through each member finding a space within the family in which they can function. Work and Business The history of the United States began on the theory of hard work, but has disintegrated into a belief system in which exchange is done under adversarial terms. Management and workers are now more traditionally at odds, each trying to get the most out of the other rather than working towards mutual goals. This comes from the culture of shareholder models of corporate governance in which decisions are made with the owners interests in mind with all other shareholders scrambling to have their interests matter. Stakeholder models would consider all who are affected, but in contrast shareholder models are usually beneficial to short term goals rather than long term success (Corporate Governance and Business Ethics, 2011). Business attire ranges from conservative to casual, with the culture of companies determining the attire rather than the overall culture. The culture of work is various, ranging from belief systems that have no work ethic to those in which working 80 hours a week is average. Work has a variety of meanings for those within the American culture, but the American myths involve achieving ownership of a house, a car, and having a great deal of personal space. Work is a means to these personal achievements. Meaning and Symbols The communications of the culture are varied, with different gestures and expressions having a variety of meaning dependent upon the present culture of a community and the borrowed aspects of heritages. There are universal signs that have meaning such as putting the thumb and forefinger together to form a circle to mean ok, and putting the thumb up as a sign of approval. People in the United States tend to be more verbally expressive, with no real cultural attachments to facial expressions which are interpreted over a variety of understandings. Individualism In the United States, individualism is the framework through which work and life are focused. Achievement and ambitions are focused on the needs of the individual with the collective being secondary considerations. This is not to say that family is not important, but typically people grow up and leave their families, making decisions for individual consideration and moving forward into creating a separate family unit which socializes with extended family but has various responsibilities in relationships with them. As well, the mythology of the self made ‘man’ is so strong that it creates a negative perspective on living comfortably within the lower and middle classes. The Production of Success Success in the United States is based upon what the individual creates rather than that which the group creates. Ambitions are put first, with responsibilities to family and the community coming as a product of individual success. In Japan individuals are part of groups through which they function and are mostly inseparable. The life of the Japanese seems more peacefully constructed with respect being balanced by shame and the work of all being focused towards mutual survival. In the United States, the individualism that supports inequities in education, and opportunity, can be seen a more desperate method of the construction of society. Conclusion While there are negatives and positives to both cultures, the systems in place in the Japanese culture would seem to be more socially harmonious. While there is the pressure of shame, the success of each individual is placed within an equal system through which security is found. In the United States there is the mythology of wealth and fortune that drives the individual, who hopes that they enter that 1% in order to be considered truly successful within the social construct. References Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood and adolescence. New York: Worth Publishers. Corporate Governance and Business Ethics. (2011). Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. Georgas, J. (2006). Families across cultures: A 30-nation psychological study. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Jackson, K. & Tomoika, M. (2004). The changing face of Japanese Government. Kalman, B. (2009). Japan the culture. New York: Crabtree Pub. Kwintessential. (2012). Japan – Language, culture, customs and etiquette. Retrieved from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/japan-country-profiles.html Venture Japan. (2012). The Japanese company in Japan’s culture. Retrieved from http://www.venturejapan.com/japan-business-culture-company.htm Read More